Why does being resilient matter?
May 8 - May 12, 2023 | Always Peachy Devotionals | Bouncing Back Week 2
Some days life feels like a cage match.
You know? Like you’re locked in a boxing ring with a heavyweight champion and all you’ve got to defend yourself is your own two fists.
Part of adulthood is understanding that life will knock you down, but it’s the childlike faith in God’s goodness and plan that gives us the strength to get back up again. That’s where resilience comes in. It’s the ability to keep moving forward when everything in life makes it a challenge.
Last week we spent some time talking about what a resilient life looks like, because “resilience” is kind of a fancy word and it’s important that we understand what it means. Resilience is bouncing back when life knocks you down, and the Bible is full of stories about real-life heroes who did just that. We talked about a few of them, and we will talk about more of them before the month is out.
But, for me, I need more than just a definition or an example of why a character quality matters. I need to understand the value it has in my life and what benefit it will bring to me before I implement it. So that’s what this week about: Why does being resilient even matter?
What’s the point of resilience? What do we gain from it outside of more heartache and frustration? Is there even a point or a purpose to choosing to get back up again?
Spoilers. Yes. Resilience has a huge intentional purpose in our lives. Here’s just a few reasons why resilience matters:
May 8 - We aren’t born wise
May 9 - We aren’t born strong
May 10 - We aren’t born with empathy
May 11 - We aren’t born with faith
May 12 - We aren’t ready for God’s big plans
Because we don’t begin our lives with the knowledge and experience we need to be successful, we have to get it from somewhere. And that’s where resilience comes in. Resilience is our personal training ground for life.
For our memory verse this week, I went to Job. Man, you want to talk about a resilient person? Job endured more suffering than almost any other human being, and he did it without turning away from God.
The fact is, when you endure testing and challenge and struggle and hardship, you grow stronger and stronger. But it’s not something you can do without God’s power in your life, and that’s what Job 17:9 makes clear.
With God’s strength, we can keep moving forward even when life is difficult and dark. And the farther we go, through God’s power, we will increase in strength, because His strength becomes obvious through us.
And I can’t talk about resilience without sharing one of my favorite TobyMac songs. I hope this blesses you in your week, and I pray that each of you will be willing to let God increase your strength.
Amy
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